Sustainable throughout

Borrowing

Our issuances are supported by sustainability credentials

Historically, the Bank’s generic debt products have attracted a wide range of socially responsible investors (SRI). This is driven by EIB’s strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials, while investors have also appreciated EIB’s financial strength and top-quality credit standing. Building on its financial merits, the EIB is able to borrow at attractive rates, and the benefits of EIB’s borrowing conditions are passed on to project promoters.

EIB and Green Bonds

The Bank plays a leading role in the Green Bond market. The EIB issued the world’s first Green Bond in 2007, called Climate Awareness Bonds (CABs). Since then, the Bank has expanded CAB issuance across a number of currencies, providing benchmark size transactions in the core currencies EUR, USD and GBP.

"What Green Bonds bring to the market is transparency," says Philippe Zaouati, CEO of Mirova Responsible Investment in this video. Discover in images some of the projects financed and what difference Green Bonds can make for a healthier planet.

Aside from bond issuances, the Bank contributes actively to the market’s development by:

publishing comprehensive best-in-market reporting on its CAB issues

having its Green Bond activities audited externally,

spurring coordination and dialogue within the Green Bond Principles to promote transparency and accountability.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings can be a powerful tool for linking financial with non-financial indicators, thus helping investors to better inform their investment decisions. The EIB regularly engages with a number of ESG rating agencies on its sustainability performance, initiatives and objectives.

A number of leading non-financial rating agencies have reported EIB performance on environmental, social and governance issues to be among the best of its peer group.